Tag Archives: blogging

Looking Back, Looking Forwards

Posted in Travel Writings, Writings about Writing by

Like so many others at this time of year, I find myself musing on the past and dreaming of the future. I thought I’d share a few reflections of 2013, and what I’d like to see myself accomplishing this coming year.

Highlights of 2013:

-I got to see one of my favorite singers, Eivør, live in concert. Definitely a dream come true – especially since the concert was not only here in the US (unusual for her touring schedule), but a mere two hours from my house.

-I made my first official submission and got my first official rejection. I submitted a short story to a fantasy anthology, and it was rejected. I was very excited about this, because even if I decide to self-publish my novels rather than trying for agents or publishers, I wanted to get some submission experience under my belt.

-I took a trip to Iceland. It was my first trip to that country, and also my first solo traveling experience. I loved the city, the country, and the culture, and I know that I grew a lot from the experience of being all alone in a foreign country.

-I wrote several guest posts for other blogs. It’s exciting to see my writing featured on other websites besides my own blog, and hopefully I’ve added value to the readers of those blogs.

Goals for 2014:

-I want to go back to Iceland – specifically for the Iceland Writers Retreat. Networking with other writers in the land of the Nordic Sagas would be more than awesome.

-I want to finish the first book of my fantasy trilogy. My original goal was to have the second round of rewrites and edits done by the end of 2013. That did not happen. So 2014 will be the year to finish the edits, get it off to my beta readers, and at least begin the publication process.

-I want to get something published. Whether it’s the fantasy novel, a short story, or even getting paid to write a blog post, I want to have a published piece of work to my name before the end of this year.

-I want to read more. Writers need to be readers; and while I of course love reading, I didn’t do much of it this past year. I had a rather short to-read list for 2013, and I didn’t get through very many of them. You can track my reading habits on Goodreads, if you like – and I want to post more books on my profile this year than last.

Now I’d love to hear your thoughts! Did you have any goals accomplished or dreams realized in 2013? What do you have planned for 2014?

What Do You Want?

Posted in Writings about Writing by

With this year drawing to a close, I’ve been reflecting about what I’ve done with my blog thus far, and where I’d like to go in the future. And I want your feedback! I have a good number of subscribers and followers of my blog, as well as daily hits from web searches, so I must be writing at least a few interesting things. But I’d like to provide (or keep providing) content that you want to read.

So, if you could, please take a minute and give me your thoughts! You can answer these questions, or make other suggestions, too! Comment here, on Facebook, Twitter, or email.

  • What have been some of your favorite posts? Why?
  • What would you like to see more of in future posts? Music reviews? Writing how-to’s? Travel? Nordic stuff? Something else?
  • I’m thinking about doing some giveaways next year. Until I have published books that I can then discount or give away as prizes for contests or raffles, what are some things you’d like to see as gifts or prizes? And for that matter, what sort of raffle or contest would be fun?
  • What’s your favorite way to follow me or get new posts? Do you subscribe to my blog with your WordPress reader or email? Do you follow me on Facebook or Twitter? Or did you stumble across this post from a link or a Google search?
  • And finally, do you have any questions for me? I do my best to answer quickly, whether it’s here or on social media. Let me know what you’re thinking and where we can all go together for another year of blogging!

My First Anniversary!

Posted in Writings about Writing by

So tomorrow, June 20th, marks exactly one year since my first blog entry. Okay, technically it was my second blog entry, but my actual first post was just a test to make sure I’d set up everything right on WordPress.

Anyway, in this post I’d like to celebrate that I survived a year of blogging. And I’d like to share some of the things that I’ve learned over this past year:

1. Blogging is lots of fun

It’s been fun coming up with new things to write about every week, reading comments from readers, posting my little Gravatar link all over the interwebs so that more people will see my blog.

2. Blogging is lots of work

See #1. As fun as blogging is, it’s also been surprisingly hard to post something creative once a week. As someone who loves to write, this ought to be easy, but it isn’t always. Especially since I try to publish my posts on a regular schedule, so I always have my self-imposed deadline breathing down my neck.

3. Blogging is a great way to meet new people

I’ve met so many cool bloggers. Since I started blogging, I’ve also been reading more blogs, and engaging in conversations via the comments fields—sometimes even moving to email or Facebook for deeper conversations. Yes, I do believe you can have meaningful friendships online.

4. Blogging stretches my creativity

See #2 about how much work it is keeping up with regular postings. Right now, I’m feeling very accomplished because I have several more weeks’ worth of blog entries already written, and more ideas in the pipe. But many times I find myself staring at the computer, thinking that if I don’t post something this week then some reader I don’t know will suddenly hate me. Surely a creative writer can come up with something creative to write? Sometimes it’s a stretch.

5. Blogging gives me a confidence boost

Despite the stresses of #2 and #4, I’m happy about my first year of blogging. I know I’m not famous (yet), nor am I being paid for blogging (yet), but it makes me smile when I see how many people subscribe to my blog via email or follow me on WordPress. And I’ve posted at least one entry a week for an entire year. Creative gems or not, that’s still a lot of writing.

So here’s my self-congratulatory pat on the back. And many thanks to everyone who does follow me (here, or on Facebook or Twitter). I hope you’ll read and share my writing for another year! 🙂

THE NEXT BIG THING – Blog Hop

Posted in Music, Movies, and other Muses by

I did a blog hop about the Next Big Thing once before, but I thought it’d be fun to give it another go. I will be answering several questions about my WIP. In the first “interview” about the Next Big Thing, I talked about the second book of the trilogy I’m doing, because I’m currently writing the first draft of it. For this blog “interview,” I’ll talk about the first book, which is in the rewrite and first round of edits stage.

1: What is the working title of your book?  

The Vanished Reindeer. The trilogy is titled The Light-Whisperers of Kalevala.

2: Where did the idea come from for the book?

I wrote a blog post once specifically about that. The idea came from a thought about a herd of reindeer and a mystery—and to solve the mystery for myself, I turned to the realm of fantasy.

3. What genre does your book come under?

Fantasy. Specifically, cross-world fantasy (where the story takes place both on earth and in a fantasy world), with a dose of mythology-inspired fantasy.

4: Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

Dunno. I’m still working on this one. Most of the actors would need to be Finnish, as the story is set in Finland and only one of the characters is American.

5: How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

About a year and half to finish the first draft.

6: What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

Well, let’s see—are you a reader who likes fantasy that pulls elements from mythology and classic literature? Are you a reader who likes a good Scandinavian mystery? Are you a reader who likes mysterious monsters, immortal queens, magic, music, and just a dab of romance? My book has all of that—hopefully tied together in a nice cohesive package. That’s what this rewriting/editing phase is for.

Many thanks to Bonnie Watson for sending me this blog hop entry. Check out her books at www.WisdomNovels.com!